Consequences
by bri1216
Summary: A future fic. SamSarah, DeanCassie. Sam's POV What happens when childrens spirits take over the lives of the brothers?


Consequences

Prologue

Hell found me. I remember the night clearly; the night it all started. It was New Year's Eve. Sarah, Dean, and Cassie had come to pick me up to go for a ride around town. That was the only thing to do in that town. I remember the night was cool, I had worn jeans and sweater, so Dean had given me his jacket to wrap up in. In the convertible, I remember my brown hair flying all over the place.  
We had gotten tired of riding up and down Main Street and had taken back roads into the outskirts of the city. If I hadn't have been bored out of my mind, I never would've noticed the man that stood in the middle of the road as we rounded a corner.  
He was in terrible shape; cuts and bruises covered his body and his clothes had the crimson pattern of blood long since dried. He seemed strangely calm, considering his condition. Like a deer in the headlights, he just stood there staring blankly at us. We had had to swerve off the road to avoid hitting him, and we waited a minute for everything to register. Crawling out of the mangled car, we walked up to the man, keeping at a safe distance.  
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked.  
We never got a clear answer out of him. He would just ramble on about numerous things, things that seemed to have no connection. First about hooks, then about curses. Listening carefully, I recognized his tales as urban legends. Doing our best to console him, we tried to convince him of this, but he would not listen.  
Stranded, we took the first aid kit out of the trunk and did our best to nurse his wounds. The only thing we could do was to try to figure out where we were and to try to find help. Back then I frequently sought isolation, almost as much as I do now. The one thought that sticks in my mind, as I strive for the distant memories of my life as it once was, was standing on a nearby cliff, thinking.  
It's strange; the post-shock mind of a person has difficulty comprehending even the simplest of thoughts, but I came to a conclusion that night that I still believe to this day.  
We as humans wander this Earth forever, living a dream of safety. But that in itself is an illusion. Most of the time it takes a major event to make us realize that we are dreaming, though most will never realize they are asleep. When we do wake up, however, and try to share this with the world, we get pushed away. Psychiatrists, counseling; that is our future. People complain that in order for them to help us, we must trust them. But we cannot be helped. And you can't trust someone who thinks you're crazy.  
Somehow, at that point, I knew what was fixing to happen.  
I must've been lost in thought, because I never noticed the man beside me, not until he jumped off the ledge. The only thing that passed through my mind as I watched him fall was this: What could make a man so young want to end his life in such a way, falling down towards the river rapids? What had he seen in those woods that would make him so scared, so terrified, that he would kill himself after experiencing it? I never, however, thought I was in danger or that we should leave.  
If there's one thing I regret, it is that. But if I hadn't have been so naive, I would have no story to tell, no nightmares or inner demons. No guilt. No guilt about knowing and not acting. But now I'm getting ahead of myself.

_Chapter One_

_Now I lay me down to sleep,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep,_

_Let me wander throughout the night,_

_But wake me with the morning light._

Dean tossed in his sleep. He was drenched in sweat and muttering incomprehensibly. I sat next to him, watching as he dreamed. I tried shaking him many times but he wouldn't wake. I watched him squirm and grasped his shoulder. All I could understand of his murmurs was one word: Donovan.

Who was Donovan? Why did he keep saying that name?

Dean stopped writhing about and I looked at him. His eyes flew open and he stared, wide-eyed, at the ceiling. I leaned over him and stared into his eyes. They were usually bright green but now they were gray…a cold gray.

"Dean." I whispered. "Dean." I waved a hand in front of his eyes. He sat up erectly, his head crashing into my nose. Blood started dripping onto the white comforter and I quickly got up and ran to the bathroom. "Damn it Dean." I sighed stepping back in while holding reddened toilet paper to my face. I stopped and watched him. He was sitting, still as stone, upright. He wasn't blinking and his eyes were glazed over. He suddenly scared me and I backed up against the door. I could feel my breathing quicken, as did my heart. Dean hadn't moved.

"Dean!" I shouted loudly. "Hey!" I felt the panic coarse over my body. Dean still didn't move at all. I thought of something. "Who's Donovan?" I managed to ask through shaky breaths. At the name, Dean's eyes lit up with anger. His head sharply turned and he glared at me. He lifted the comforter off of him and slowly began to step towards me. I pressed myself against the door as hard as I could be and my breathing hitched another level. "Dean stop. Don't come closer." I don't know why I was afraid of him, but I was. I was terrified. I sunk to the floor, hoping he would stop. Suddenly his body went rigid and he fell to the floor with a thump.

I slowly inched closer to him when he didn't move for several minutes. I grasped his hand and rubbed it hard. His eyes fluttered open and they were a normal jade again. I sighed, relieved.

"Sam?" Dean questioned, confused. "What happened to your nose? And why are we on the floor? What's wrong?" he looked at my shaking shoulders.

"You don't remember…anything?" I asked.

Dean grew even more confused. "No. What happened?" he asked again.

I shook my head. "Who's Donovan?"

"How would I know? I've never known a Donovan...what the hell kind of name is that?" Dean replied. I searched his eyes for a lie. He was being honest.

"Never mind. Let's get back to bed." I pulled Dean up and we lay back down in our beds, bringing the blankets back over our heads. Dean was soon fast asleep but I couldn't fall back to sleep as easily. I couldn't get his eyes, his face, his tone, and his anger out of my mind. This wasn't my brother.

Sarah Blake lie wide-awake in her twin bed, in her small apartment in Tuscan, Arizona. Next to her in her own bed was her best friend and roommate, Cassie. She was breathing heavily but tossing about. Her dark hair was wet and plastered against her forehead. Sarah watched as Cassie began to sob in her sleep. She quietly ran a hand through her long brown hair and coaxed her to wake up. "Cass. Cassie…wake up." she continued flaunting about and shaking with sobs. Sarah laid her hand onto her shoulder. She stopped and slowly sat up.Disregarding Sarah, she got out of bed and put on a hooded, navy blue sweater and quietly stepped out the door, leaving Sarah awestruck and confused.

Chapter Two 

The phone began ringing and Dean rolled out of bed to answer it. "Hello?" he rubbed his eyes groggily.

"Dean? Have you heard from Cassie?" he could hear the strain in Sarah's voice.

"No. Why?"

Her voice became thick as she held back tears. "She disappeared last night. Just walked out the door, I-I don't know where she went." A tear slid down her pale cheek.

"Well Sar- I'm sure she's fine…just went for a walk." Dean nodded to me as I entered. "Sarah." He whispered. I nodded and took the phone.

"Hey Baby. What's wrong?"

"Sam, I can't get hold of Cassie. Can you try? Maybe she's upset with me and she'll pick up for someone else. I mean…just…can you or Dean try her?"

"Of course, sweetie. I'll call you back in a few minutes." I clicked the phone off and took a deep breath. Dean's behavior came flooding back to me as I looked at his eyes. I shuttered and held out the phone. "Try calling Cassie. Sarah says she was acting strange…"

Dean grasped the phone and dialed his girlfriend's number. "Hello? Cass?" I turned and knelt my head towards the phone as Dean spoke into the receiver.

"Dean. I-I don't know where I am. I don't know how I got here…I can't remember anything." Cassie's strong voice was shaky and worried.

"Ok…look around. What do you see?" Dean eyed me, confused. I shrugged back.

"I-I'm in a forest. It looks familiar." Cassie quivered.

"Like the one we were at on New Years?" I asked taking the phone away.

"Yea…yea that's it." She sounded relieved.

"Alright, we'll come to get you. Don't move." I hung up and turned to Dean. "I'll get her, you call Sarah and tell her we'll be over as soon as we can." I grabbed my coat and shut the door before he could respond.

I drove to the forest and found the spot where the man had so willingly jumped from the cliff. An eerie feeling crept up my spine and made a shiver coarse though my body. I stepped out and wrapped my coat tightly around my toned form. "Cass?" I called. I stepped closer to the trees. "Cassie!" A large collie came bounding out of the woods and Cassie stumbled close behind. "Cassie?" I caught her shoulders and held her up. She looked terrible. Her face had cuts and bruises, her hands and pants were covered in mud, and she had huge purple bags under her dark eyes.

"I found him." She gasped as she tried to muster up enough strength to hold herself up. "In the forest, alone. He kept me warm last night." She caught her breath and leaned her weight against the car instead of me.

I nodded and opened the front door, helping Cassie into the passenger seat. "Why did you leave the house?"

She shook her head. "I've been trying to figure it out. I don't remember leaving. I woke up and was here." She rested her head against the back of the cushion and closed her eyes. "Don't forget Donovan." She mumbled.

I froze. "Donovan?" Dean had repeated that name last night…was it connected? "Who's Donovan?"

Cassie opened her eyes and smiled. "My savior." She pointed at the collie patiently sitting in front of the car.

"Oh…" I shook Dean out of my mind and opened the back door. The dog trotted over and jumped into the back seat and gave a single bark of gratitude. We began the drive home and I checked on Cassie every few minutes.

She was peacefully sleeping for the first half hour when suddenly, she began to stir. "Donovan." She whimpered.

I eyed her uneasily. Not again. "Cassie. Wake up." I nudged her against the door. She jolted awake and stared at me angrily.

"Turn back." She seethed.

"Cass, we're going home." I could tell my voice was shaking and I tried to calm down.

"I need to get Donovan." Her cheeks were reddening in anger and her eyes flashed like they could have been scarlet.

"We have Donovan." I pointed to the dog dozing in the back.

She glared at the dog, then at me. "Go back to Donovan." Her voice shook with emotion. "NOW!" she grabbed the steering wheel and tried to turn the car around. In one quick motion I pushed her off and she landed against the door, letting it fall open. Cassie was flung out of the car and rolled onto the gravel path. I quickly turned off the ignition and rushed over to her. I pulled her up and laid her across my lap; she looked remarkably like the man on the cliff.

"Cass. Cassie, are you ok?" I gently shook her and her eyes fluttered open.

"Yeah…yeah, Sam, I'm fine. What happened?" she rubbed her head and looked shocked to see blood on her fingertips.

"I-I don't know. I mean…you were asleep and you woke up and you wanted to find Donovan and he was right there and you got angry and-and…" I couldn't believe Cassie didn't remember. Was this all just some joke they were playing on Sarah and me? "Let's go" I lifted her up and we got back into the car. As we began driving again I kept glancing back at Cassie, not allowing her to go back to sleep. "Why did you name that dog Donovan?"

She shrugged. "It just came to me. Don't you think he looks like a Donovan?"

"Cass…that's not a name that just comes to people. Lassie or Rufus, or Buddy. Those are names that just come. Donovan?" I had to get to the bottom of this. Why both she and Dean had said the names and not remembered them.

"Does it really matter? I saw him and thought Donovan. That's it." She shrugged again as we pulled into her driveway. I parked the car and helped her out, Donovan bounding ahead of us and scratching at the door. I sighed as we walked in, letting Sarah take care of Cassie. I plunked down onto the couch next to Dean, who had taken a cab over.

Chapter Three 

Cassie laid herself down to get some sleep that night. She had no idea what had happened the night before and no recollection of anything in the car with Sam. All she knew was she was exhausted.

Sarah was staying the night with Dean and Sam, as she had suggested she have a night alone. And that is what she was doing. She was completely alone except for Donovan. She moved about the house, locking every door and window there was for safety. Knowing that the only window that didn't lock was in the basement, she had dead-bolted the cellar door. She got into bed and made sure Donovan was securely nestled beside her on the floor. She shut her eyes at midnight, ready for a peaceful nights sleep.

Around 2 A.M., however, she was startled awake. Not sure of what it was that had awaken her, she closed her eyes once more. But she began to hear noises. A dripping. _Must've left the faucet on._ She held her hand down to the floor to be sure Donovan was still there. She felt a lick and, reassured, went back to sleep.

Again, this time around 4, she woke up to hear the rhythmic _drip, drip, drip_. "Damn sink." She mumbled. Still, she needed the reassurance of her dog so she put her hand to the floor. She felt the warm tongue touch her hand and turned over once more.

At six in the morning, she was awoken yet again by the dripping. Stumbling out of bed, she went to the bathroom sink to turn off the water. But not a single drop had been out of the faucet all night. She plodded to the kitchen and let out a blood-curdling scream. Donovan hung from a curtain rod, skinned, with blood oozing off of him with a _drip, drip, drip. _

She ran back to her room to get her army knife (Dean always told her to stay protected), in case someone was still in the house. She found a single piece of paper lying carelessly on the floor. It read a simple sentence that brought Cassie to fearful tears. _'Humans can lick too.'_

Chapter Four 

Sarah had gotten Cassie's call right away and was bustling around, collecting her things to get home.

I gently placed my hand on her shoulder. "Sarah…what happened again?"

"I'm not entirely sure. She was sobbing on the phone…she sounded hysterical. I just need to get back to her." She tossed her pajama bottoms into her backpack and flung her coat around her arms. "Do you two want to come?"

"Nah." I smiled warmly. "Dean and I have a hunt planned. Call me when she's calmed down. We'll see you later." I gave her a kiss and turned to Dean. I'd tell him about Cass after the hunt; I couldn't have him distracted. He was napping on the couch and I carefully shook him. Since the incident, he hadn't mentioned Donovan but I was becoming increasingly terrified of sleeping. Dean stirred and his green eyes opened with a smile.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey back. Where are we going tonight?"

"Just a little place I like to call 'Lover's Lane'." He grinned and winked. "Ever heard of the Hook Man?"

"Yeah. We killed him, remember?"

"Yeah, well maybe there's more than one…"

"Whatever. Just let me pee first." I went towards the bathroom and relieved myself. Coming out, I glanced over at Dean and gasped. His body was convulsing and he looked as if he was having a fit of sorts.

"Dean." I grasped his shoulders and shook him. "Wake up! Stop it." His eyes opened but they were an eerie gray once again. "Dean?"

"Where's Alex?" Dean asked, his eyes growing sad.

"Who's Alex?" I rubbed his shoulder, growing aware that something was inside my brother.

"My baby sister." Dean looked at me and a tear slipped out of its duct. "We have to find Donovan."

"Donovan's dead, Dean. And you don't have a sister." I gazed into his eyes and wiped the tear away.

"He's not dead! He should be, but he isn't!" Dean began sobbing. "Where's Alex?" he sniffed.

I stared at him and rubbed his back. Maybe he was dreaming…it didn't seem so. But who was Alex? Who was Donovan? I rubbed my temples. "Dean…there is no Alex."

"Why do you keep calling me Dean? My name is Matthew. Where's my sister?" Dean gave me a pleading look.

Matthew? Alex? "Ok, Matthew…who's Donovan?"

"He's our daddy. He's mean." Dean looked at me again. "He did a bad thing."

"What did he do?" I was getting somewhere here. I watched my brother open his mouth to answer, instead his eyes rolled back into his head and he was gone. The real Dean woke up, as confused as ever.

"What the hell just happened?" he stared, bewildered, at me. "I could see everything happening…I was still me. But I couldn't talk, move, do anything."

I ran a hand through my shaggy hair and shook my head. "I don't know. Something strange is going on, Dean. We need to find out who Alex is."

He nodded. "I know. I know. But first, we have 'Hook Man' to find."

I nodded and pushed Alex, Matthew, and Donovan away.

"Why would someone do this?" Sarah asked as she sprinkled the last of the soil over Donovan's body. "Animal cruelty. Trespassing. Breaking and entering. Murder. It's wrong in so many ways. Not to mention horribly terrifying. We're not staying alone anymore." She looked over at Cassie.

"He was in the room with me the whole time. It was never Donovan. I had a psychopath licking me the entire night." Her voice became low and thick. Sarah wrapped her arms around her friend and rocked her.

"It's going to be ok." She whispered. Her arms stayed closed securely around her and she placed her head on top of Cassie's.

"I'm scared Sarah." She whispered. "I am too." She involuntarily shivered as Cassie sniffed.

Chapter Five 

On the drive up to the so-called "Lover's Lane", I couldn't get everything out of my mind. Was a Matthew really possessing Dean? My gut wanted to go with paranormal but my mind was asking why Dean would be possessed, not me. He was the stronger one.

One thing didn't fit. Cassie wouldn't kill an animal, let alone her own dog, Donovan. They had to have planned this. Unless… "Unless Cassie is Alex!" I said aloud.

"What?" Dean looked at me confused.

"If you're Matthew, it would make sense for Cassie to be Alex. You both mutter about a Donovan. She has these strange spells as well. Only one that I know of…but…don't you see Dean? You two are being possessed by children. They would have to be dead. Their father, Donovan. He's still alive, Matthew said he should be dead but he isn't. Maybe he killed them. '_He did a bad thing'_ Remember?" this was all coming so fast; I felt my head spin and I began to get dizzy.

"Why do I have to be possessed? Why can't it be…Geek Boy? This is all too weird. Can't we just have a normal night before it gets weirder?" Dean pleaded.

I nodded. "Ok." '_Cause hunting ghosts is normal for us_…' He parked the car on a hill looking out to the stars. The navy blue sky twinkled with tiny pearls and crickets hummed outside.

"We are a 'couple' tonight, Sammy." He grinned and winked teasingly at me. "He comes for lover's." Dean put his arm around my shoulder and I shrugged him off.

Suddenly, the music came to a halt. _"We interrupt this song for an important message. A long-time criminal convicted of murder has escaped, yet again, from prison. He was caught in January and now, 3 months later has escaped again. He's been seen so a warning to anyone out and inside their homes: Be on the lookout for a tall, dark man with a hook on his right hand. If seen, contact police immediately."_

Dean looked at me and I shook my head as the music began again. "Not a ghost? Now that scares me." I said. "Let's get back to the girls." He nodded and put the Impala into gear.

During the drive home, I couldn't help glancing at all the bushes as we sped past them, daring for the man to show himself. Daring to meet danger and look It in the eye.

The car stopped and I walked towards the front door, allowing Dean to park in the garage. I got to the door and gasped. "Dean!" I called in a voice that caused him to run over. There, dangling from the brass knob was a steel hook, dripping with blood.

Chapter Six 

That was that. Four brave adults were now terrified of their own shadow. As Dean constantly said: "Ghosts are one thing but people…they're scary as Hell." We never spent one second alone, not in the shower, shopping, sleeping, or eating. We were scared.

I'd like to tell you that that's where it ended. After that, we all just stuck together like glue and ended up ok. Unfortunately, it's not. Matthew and Alex still had not found Donovan and were becoming increasingly present. Alex was, indeed, in Cassie. They showed up more often now that they had "found" each other. And each appearance lasted longer and became more frightening.

But today, we were all ourselves. And we were going to the mall. Sarah parked the car on the 3rd floor of the multi-story parking lot and we all got out. She took my hand, I took Cassie's, and she took Dean's. If we had been playing Red Rover, we would've won in a heartbeat. A heartbeat…that's all it took for us to lose her.

"Oops. I forgot my purse." Sarah looked at us and smiled. "I'll just dash back and grab it, you guys go ahead."

"I'll go with you." I said uneasily.

"No, sweetie, you go on ahead, I'll catch up. Besides, this is a public place; nothing will happen." Sarah hadn't seen anything like Dean, Cassie, or I had. Sarah still held courage.

I bit my lip but nodded. We couldn't be afraid of everything…it was Dean and me for God's sake. "We'll wait in the food court." I smiled, my nerves unraveling.

Sarah turned and walked back down the 2 flights of stairs and towards the car. She was nearing her small, red convertible and looked up to see the figure of a man hunched over in the car. She eyed the license plate to make sure it was hers. After all, it was a popular model. It was definitely her vehicle. "Excuse me, sir. How and why are you in my car?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. The man looked withered, lost.

"I was with my son and his family when I began to feel ill. I came back to the car to rest." He answered. Sarah stared at him. As old as he looked, he would make an intimidating businessman. Dressed in a dark suit and carrying a briefcase, he fit the job description.

"Sir, you came to the wrong car. Yours must just be the same model." Sarah nervously combed her long black hair with her fingers.

"Oh…I'm sorry." He smiled, showing crooked teeth. "Would you mind accompanying me to my car. I don't believe I can make it on my own."

Sarah smiled. "Sure." She got into the car and started it.

"Could you put up the hood?" he asked referring to the topless convertible. "It's a bit nippy."

Sarah bit her lip but agreed; it was chilly.

"Such a kind young soul. You remind me of Matthew, my son. Alex wasn't quite as well behaved I'm afraid."

Sarah looked back at him, taking notice of the briefcase which he kept over his right arm. The situation had suddenly become unnerving. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I forgot that I'm supposed to meet some friends. I should get going, I'll send someone to help you to your car."

"Oh, my dear. You won't be leaving." He cackled, his case falling open to reveal an axe. Using his left and only hand, he brought it down onto her head.

That's how we found her. Her hair a matted mess dyed in scarlet, her green eyes opened in horror, her white skull showing where the skin had been peeled away. That's when Alex and Matthew showed themselves again. But in a different light this time.

Chapter Seven 

I remember seeing Sarah. Then everything went black. I could only assume the same happened to Dean and Cassie. I woke up, and I was in a field. It looked as though it had just been harvested. Cassie lay to the left of me, Dean to the right. By the time they came around, I had realized that wherever it was that we were, wasn't a real place.

Dean stirred and sat up. His eyes were jade green, instantly telling me that it was my brother. He helped Cassie up.

I was awake but refused to sit up. I felt the tears filling up my ears from the way I was laying. "Not again." I whispered, my breathing getting ragged. "Why does everyone I love leave me?" I felt Dean next to me and I ended up enfolded in his arms.

"Come on, Sammy." He mumbled, trying to lift me up. "We need to figure out where we are."

I nodded and wiped my eyes. I felt Cassie gently rub my back as she slung her arm around me.

"Alex!" I heard a boy call. I instinctively turned to Dean but he looked at me with green, confused eyes. Cassie closed her eyes, expecting to be overtaken by a child's spirit, but nothing happened.

"Sammy, look." Dean whispered, touching my arm. I turned to see a boy, no more than eight years old, running towards us. His gray eyes held a fearful tinge and his white-blonde hair stood up with permanent cowlicks.

"Alex, where are you?" he called stopping just before running into Cassie. A tiny girl jumped out of the harvested corn stalk. She had the same light hair but huge, emerald eyes.

"BOO!" she screamed, causing the other to jump. "Scared ya, Matt!" she smiled. "You're such a baby."

"Am not." Matt rolled his eyes and turned back in the direction from which he came. "Come on, Dad wants us for dinner."

"No. He's drunk, I'm not going back to that house until he stops hurting us." Alex stuck out her chin and plodded in the opposite direction.

"Alex." The young boy whined. "He's already angry, I think we should go."

"Go then. You go get beaten with his hard belt!" her voice shook and a tear slid down her freckled cheek. She quickly wiped it away. Her older brother walked over to her and took her hand, holding it tight.

"We don't need dinner tonight." He whispered.

"Son of a Bitch!" a man yelled. I spun around to see a tall, dark man with a hook on his right hand and a fierce look in his gray eyes. "I tell your brother to come get you and this is where you end up! Playing hand games in the field!" he grabbed each child by the scruff of the neck and beat their heads together.

"Daddy, please. We were coming." Matt cried blood seeping into his white T-shirt.

"You're worthless. Your mother died and she's the only one who loved you two!" He smashed their heads together again and I heard a deafening _crack. _Matt fell to the ground and the dirt became a crimson-colored mud.

"Daddy!" Alex began wriggling to get to her brother but their father grabbed her throat.

"Where do you think you're going?" He squeezed until the child was blue. Alex collapsed but her father continued choking her. He left both his children to die in the field.

Chapter Eight 

We were thrown back to the multi-level mall parking lot. Sarah's body still lay before us. I knelt my head onto Dean's shoulder and let out a sob. I kept my eyes shut and Dean turned his head the other way.

"Holy Shit." He mumbled. "Those boys. I… bastard!" He wiped his face and turned to me. "We have to help them Sam. We have to."

"I know." I whispered. "And I'm scared."

We called the police and gave them all the information we could. Then Dean and I brought Cassie back to our apartment for the night. We drank a pot of coffee in silence and went to bed. All three of us together in the living room, on the floor. Dean was the one who woke me up.

"Alex." He said, stooping over Cassie. "Wake up, he's here."

I bolted up as I saw the knob of my front door turning slowly. Cassie stirred and immediately sat upright when she saw Dean. Dean's eyes were gray again and I knew they were back. I kept my eyes fixed on the door. Dean turned to me.

"You're going to help us, right?" he stared at me with those pleading eyes. He looked more innocent than I'd ever seen him.

"Of course." I nodded.

"Good." He smiled and took Cassie's hand. "Cuz he's here." With that the door swung open. A silhouette of a hunched man appeared and he carried an axe in his left hand.

"Donovan." I muttered.

"That's right." He grinned, flashing yellow teeth. "Everyone thinks I'm the criminal but it's _them _who are driving people insane. They killed that man in January. They killed your friend. It's _them_!" his eyes flashed and he lunged at Cassie with the axe.

It hit her, in the stomach and she fell backwards. "You killed us, Daddy! You drove that man crazy in the woods! _You_ scared him to death." Dean cried, running towards Cassie. I ran to the kitchen and got a knife, tossing it to Dean.

"You sick, twisted freak! You don't even realize your own doings!" I stared at Dean; his eyes were green again. He stabbed at Donovan and the knife stuck to his ribcage. Donovan stumbled backwards. Dean's eyes became gray.

He dropped the axe, causing it to slice off Dean's arm on the way down and his eyes became wild. He jumped for it but Cassie got it first. She swung it across Donovan's neck, instantly decapitating him, before collapsing. Dean had lost a massive amount of blood and was slowly losing consciousness. I grabbed at the phone and dialed 911. Cassie moved herself over near Dean and rested her head onto his shoulder. Alex and Matthew had left their bodies. We looked up to see two nearly white-haired little kids smiling at us. "We're so sorry." Alex whispered. "But thank you." She took her brother's hand and they disappeared.

"Hold on guys. Help is on the way." I told Cassie and Dean. But it was too late. By the time the paramedics showed up, both of them were gone. They found me crying into Dean's bloody arm and sent me away to a clinic. They thought I was insane. They thought I killed everyone, including Donovan. I was sent away to a ward for Psychopaths.

And all I have to show for it is pain. Pain and Misery and Grief and Despair. I've tried so many times to die. To just let the hurt out. But they always catch me and lock me up alone.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For every cause, there is an effect. For every decision, there is a consequence. We learned that the hard way. We chose to pull over that cold January night so long ago. And the irony of it all: we chose to help that man, thus securing our fate. The consequence was death. The death of everyone but me.

_Now I lay me down to sleep,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to keep_

_And if I die before I wake,_

_I pray the Lord my soul to take._


End file.
